Cleaning and repairing the Shellac clear coat on Vintage sewing machine heads
#193
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Somewhere
Posts: 15,506
#194
Super Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Mendocino Coast, CA
Posts: 5,007
Amazing thread! Thank you so much for all this information! I have been sewing on my various Singers for many years and I now have lots of tips on how to spiff them up and make them glow.
I wonder if any of you have tried to restore the cases for the portable Singer models? I went looking for replacement cases and found that they can cost more than the machine heads...YOW! I have 2 cases that need restoration. One is for my 1950s, Singer 403A...a trapezoid style that has lost its vinyl skin and is coming apart. The other case is for my 1955, 99K that is starting to show some fraying on the (varnished?) cloth skin, near the edges. Any ideas?
I wonder if any of you have tried to restore the cases for the portable Singer models? I went looking for replacement cases and found that they can cost more than the machine heads...YOW! I have 2 cases that need restoration. One is for my 1950s, Singer 403A...a trapezoid style that has lost its vinyl skin and is coming apart. The other case is for my 1955, 99K that is starting to show some fraying on the (varnished?) cloth skin, near the edges. Any ideas?
#195
Power Poster
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Somewhere
Posts: 15,506
Amazing thread! Thank you so much for all this information! I have been sewing on my various Singers for many years and I now have lots of tips on how to spiff them up and make them glow.
I wonder if any of you have tried to restore the cases for the portable Singer models? I went looking for replacement cases and found that they can cost more than the machine heads...YOW! I have 2 cases that need restoration. One is for my 1950s, Singer 403A...a trapezoid style that has lost its vinyl skin and is coming apart. The other case is for my 1955, 99K that is starting to show some fraying on the (varnished?) cloth skin, near the edges. Any ideas?
I wonder if any of you have tried to restore the cases for the portable Singer models? I went looking for replacement cases and found that they can cost more than the machine heads...YOW! I have 2 cases that need restoration. One is for my 1950s, Singer 403A...a trapezoid style that has lost its vinyl skin and is coming apart. The other case is for my 1955, 99K that is starting to show some fraying on the (varnished?) cloth skin, near the edges. Any ideas?
#197
Member
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Oxfordshire, UK
Posts: 4
Hi, bit nervous about using your techniques (not that i don't trust them it's more trust in my self) The central decals are flaking, the metal parts are coming up well although being in the UK I can't get the brands you talk about (unless someone can point me in the right direction) I would appreciate some pointers before showing this 1919 lady some care and attention
[ATTACH=CONFIG]461523[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]461523[/ATTACH]
#198
Power Poster
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Somewhere
Posts: 15,506
Hi, bit nervous about using your techniques (not that i don't trust them it's more trust in my self) The central decals are flaking, the metal parts are coming up well although being in the UK I can't get the brands you talk about (unless someone can point me in the right direction) I would appreciate some pointers before showing this 1919 lady some care and attention
[ATTACH=CONFIG]461523[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]461523[/ATTACH]
#200
Super Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Mendocino Coast, CA
Posts: 5,007
Well...wouldn'tcha know it. right after I discovered this thread, I bumped into a little FW that was just perfect except for one thing. It's finish is peeling away all around the lower part of the base of the head. I think it may have been sitting in water for awhile. The oil pan finish is a little bubbled up too. The inside gears and mechanisms look OK though...no rust. The bed looks almost perfect, except for a couple of light scratches and a small, bumbled touch up that the previous owner did. Those are easy fixes. However, I need some advice on how to repair the peeling paint. This is a 1951 FW and I'm wondering if they still used shellac finishes on them? It is seriously coming off of the body all along the 4 sides. It may be able to be repainted and then blended in at the top edge without being very noticeable. Please help...thanks. I will post some pix tomorrow.
~ Cindy
~ Cindy
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